It’s no wonder that 1 in 4 consumers are interested in trying functional mushrooms; These fungi have grabbed the attention of consumers because of their natural vitamins, minerals and essential nutrient content.

With popular benefits and functions ranging from immune support, relaxation, focus, enhanced memory and energy, there is wide consumer appeal for brands to optimise.

Mushrooms are also versatile and lend themselves well to various formats including gummies, tablets, capsules and powder blends. This versatility has helped further broaden consumer bases depending on their format preferences.

Cognitive Health Taking Centre Stage

Results of a Nutrition Business Journal (NBJ) consumer survey showed that 28% of people started taking a mushroom supplement for health concerns. Of that group, the reasons for taking them for cognitive health were:

  • 27% for mood and stress
  • 25% for brain health/cognition

Many functional mushrooms like Lion’s Mane, Maitake and Reishi are adaptogens which means they may help the body to deal with the effects of stress. This may help to maintain cognitive health and promote relaxation.

Some studies suggest the consumption of functional mushrooms may have beneficial effects on cognitive performance and memory.

Natural and Clean Label

Consumers' attitudes to food and supplements have been evolving over the years. Gone are the days of long, confusing ingredient lists and in their place are short, easy-to-understand labels.

Results of a global survey from Innova Market Insights showed that 60% of consumers said clean labels significantly influence their buying decisions. Claims including ‘no additives’, ‘contains only natural ingredients’ and ‘without artificial ingredients’ are ways that consumers identify clean-label products.

Functional mushrooms fit this trend perfectly. Not only are they from natural origin, they can also be grown and harvested sustainably which is becoming increasingly important.

Focus On Immune Health

Maintaining a healthy immune system has remained at the forefront of consumers' minds since the global pandemic.

According to results from a consumer trends survey from Innova Market Insights, 39% of respondents said they take supplements to boost their immune system. This was the second most important reason people take supplements, just after generally staying healthy.

Many functional mushrooms are popular for supporting immunity including Lion’s Mane, Chaga, Maitake and Reishi.

Private-Label Solutions

Mushroom Complex Gummy

Recognising the growing demand for mushroom innovation, we have developed a private-label Mushroom Complex Gummy which combines five popular mushroom extracts.

The functional mushrooms in our gummy include Maitake, Reishi, Lion’s Mane, Chaga and Tremella.

This gummy is vegan, low-sugar and has EFSA-approved health claims to display on your product label.

Functional Mushroom Supplements

Tablets, capsules and powder blends are popular supplement formats for Functional Mushrooms. With access to high-quality ingredients and partnerships with trusted contract manufacturers, we develop bespoke supplements ready for market.

If you are looking to develop a Functional Mushroom Supplement, our team can provide nutritional expertise so you can create an innovative formulation for your brand.